Public Debating 2016 Fall

Course Overview

Public Speaking & Debate (Junior) Grade 1-4

Public Speaking & Debate (Junior) is a fun introduction to the arts of oratory and persuasion. As such, this course is designed to help students master the basic tools of effective communication, which include: eye contact, projection, articulation, poise and confidence. Initially, students will be able to: describe the roles of speakers and receivers in communication; to provide examples of both non-verbal and verbal cues; to identify speech barriers; and lastly, to deliver varied orations using the five aforementioned tools. (Orations may include poetry selections, play excerpts, speech excerpts and extemporaneous prompts.) However, as the course progresses, your child will advance into debate. They will learn how to defend a belief system using solid, cited examples and to do so with little to no preparation. These exploratory debate exercises also teach younger children how to quickly pinpoint fallacies, contradictions or discrepancies in an opponent’s argument.

Public Speaking & Debate (Advanced) Grade 5-8

Public Speaking & Debate (Advanced) is an intense focus on the art of persuasive communication. As such, this course is designed to help students build confidence in their public speaking, as well as, strengthen their ability to formulate critical, thoughtful and well-structured arguments. Through a battery of integrated, interactive and improvisational activities, students will learn how to use simple, clear, and logical strategies to verbally trounce an opponent or to sway a skeptical audience. Consequently, your child’s extemporaneous speaking, ceremonial speaking and debate skills will become significantly sharper. Also their aptitudes for deducing, reasoning, evaluating and discerning effective persuasion from flowery rhetoric will greatly improve. Lastly, the Fall course will present participants with weekly opportunities to debate on a wide range of complex and controversial topics involving domestic issues, international news, current events and the latest trends in popular culture.

Course Overview

News Reporting teaches students how to “stick to the facts”, and the fact is people who are informed make better decisions and lead healthier, happier lives. This course also teaches students the differences between print news versus broadcast news; hard news versus feature news; primary sources versus secondary sources; and lastly, objectivity versus subjectivity. Young newshounds will sniff out the who, what, when, where, why and how of every story, and they will get the scoop on center news, local news, national news, and even international news! But the breaking news doesn’t stop there. Our newsies will have a truly comprehensive newsroom experience—alternating as writers, reporters, camera operators and boom operators. They each will do it all! Lastly, participants will master the skills of eye contact, projection, articulation, poise and confidence—skills that they will delightfully and expertly showcase each week in either a news magazine or on a mini news broadcast.

Check out our most recent WCFC-News TV reporters in action:

Schedule

Course Overview

Public Speaking & Debate Team students are on the brink of an exciting opportunity! This Fall, the Washington Cathay Future Center is hosting a rigorous training academy for both elementary and middle school debaters. Students will refine their abilities to think critically, process logically, research expertly, write effectively and speak confidently. As a result, they will master the styles, strategies, techniques and nuances of persuasive argument, while also expanding their base of knowledge on domestic issues, international news, current events and the latest trends in popular culture. Those Public Speaking & Debate Team students who achieve advanced proficiency during the Fall may later qualify to compete regionally and nationally in varied oratory and debate competitions. Some of these events tentatively include: the Frederick Douglass Annual Oratorical Contest, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Contest, and the National Speech & Debate Association Tournament, all of which are open to elementary- and middle school-aged students. However, preliminary matches against other local elementary and middle school debate teams may be arranged throughout the Fall to sharpen students’ skills for “verbal jousting” at those advanced levels.

Schedule

Instructor Bio

Crystal Adair

Crystal Adair is a native of Washington, DC and a proud product of the DC Public School System. In 1997, she graduated summa cum laude from Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media Arts (Radio-Television-Film). Trained as a broadcast journalist and highly skilled in both oratory and the dramatic arts, Crystal’s lifelong commitment is to help our youth “find their own voices”. This author, filmmaker, playwright and impassioned public speaker has been teaching English, Public Speaking and Fine Arts for more than 15 years. As importantly, she has worked with students and adults from all over the globe and from every grade level between kindergarten and college. Additionally, Crystal has written, produced and directed more than 75 stage plays, special programs and film projects throughout her career, while also successfully coaching hundreds of student speakers for regional competitions, Broadway auditions and even the Disney channel! Finally, Crystal’s greatest ambitions are to finally publish her memoir, Therapy, and to launch her own performing and visual arts non-profit program for youth who live in underserved communities. Crystal currently resides in Prince Georges County, MD with her very precocious and uber-talented ten-year old son, Jalen Christopher.